A document that appears to be a ruling from a Chinese court regarding Son Jun-ho (32, Chungnam Asan), who received a "permanent ban punishment" from the Chinese professional football scene due to match-fixing allegations, has been publicly shared online in China. Chungnam Asan, which carries the "Son Jun-ho risk," said it is "uncertain information" and that "there is no problem for Son Jun-ho to continue his playing career in the country."

On the content platform "Baijiahao" under the Chinese portal Baidu, a screenshot was posted on the 22nd with the title "Son Jun-ho asked Jin Jingdao about the dividends and betting information before the match against Shanghai Haigang in January 2022 and placed a bet of 200,000 yuan (about 40 million won)," containing details related to the Chinese court's ruling.

The authenticity of the ruling document has not been clearly confirmed. Some argue that this document was not directly aimed at Son Jun-ho but was revealed during the leakage of another Chinese player's ruling document.

In the witness statement section of the leaked ruling document, Son Jun-ho said, "Two hours before the match, Jin Jingdao told me to 'run slowly and control the tempo and not score.' I agreed without much thought," adding, "I played comfortably during the full time and did not exert myself. Jin Jingdao and Guo Tianyu were the same. They did not play aggressively. In the end, the match ended in a 2-2 draw. We aimed for a draw against Shanghai Haigang. Two days later, 200,000 yuan was transferred to my account."

Son Jun-ho was captured at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport in May 2023 while preparing to return to Korea. After being detained for the crime of 'non-state personnel accepting bribes,' he was formally arrested and underwent an investigation by the Chaoyang Public Security Bureau in Liaoning Province.

'Non-state personnel accepting bribes' applies to cases where individuals affiliated with corporations or other units illegally receive property. If a sports player has received improper requests related to matches and accepted money or valuables, they could be implicated in this charge. Chinese public security investigated Son Jun-ho for his involvement in match-fixing.

After returning to Korea on March 27 last year, Son Jun-ho acknowledged during a press conference in September that he received 200,000 yuan but strongly denied any illegality, saying, "I do not remember the exact reason."

He also claimed, "I made a false confession early in the investigation due to coercive questioning by the Chinese authorities."

Despite Son Jun-ho's appeal, the Chinese Football Association imposed a permanent ban punishment on him and requested the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to extend this punishment internationally. However, it was not accepted.

According to FIFA's decision, the punishment is only effective within China, allowing Son Jun-ho to return to the domestic stage, signing a contract with K League 2's Chungnam Asan in February. After joining Chungnam Asan last month, he has participated in four matches and recorded one assist.

An official from Chungnam Asan said, "We have reviewed the screenshots that appeared online in China. It is information with an unclear source," adding, "Before Son Jun-ho joined, we confirmed through inquiries with the FIFA and others that there would be no issue playing outside of China."

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